In 12 hours, 157,000 registered voters will have the chance to decide who leads them for the next 5 years. For all the obscenely overdone buildup, it is a disproportionately small and sacred process – takes only a few seconds, at most a minute, when the voter goes into a booth, reflects, and makes the powerful gesture with a single cross, an X, which will decide much in the lives of many. It is the defining act of citizens in a democracy but today, the Opposition warned that it may be the target of high tech corruption. And that’s why this morning, the Leader of the Opposition sent a letter to Karl Menzies, the Chairman of the Elections and Boundaries Commission warning of a vote buying scheme using camera phones.
It has come up in other countries, most recently Barbados, and the way it works is the voter would be given a cell phone, and then required to take a picture of his vote with that cell phone, and when he or she shows the picture of the vote, then they get the money for the vote – something like getting reimbursed upon presentation of a receipt.
Last night you heard the Chief Elections Officer say that they cannot stop anyone form taking cellular phones into the polling booths. But the Elections and Boundaries Commission had decided against it, so why not? Well as Chairman Karl Menzies told Keith Swift today, he agrees with the cell phone ban, but government did not sign the statutory instrument effecting it.
Karl Menzies, Chairman – Elections and Boundaries Commission
“At a meeting a few weeks or so ago the subject came up on banning camera and cell phones from entering the voting booth. After a little discussion everyone agreed unanimously that we should ban them – just for transparency. It was unanimous but then we were told that there is no law. We were told there is no law so it can’t be done. But people kept calling about it, I got this letter from the opposition and we decided that we should have that an SI be passed, just like how we passed an SI for the guns. We passed an SI so that even licensed gun owners will not be able to enter with a gun and I think it is going to be done today.”
Keith Swift,
Why are you concerned about the use of cell phones and cameras?
Karl Menzies,
“Well my concern or the concern of people is that people are going to tell people to photograph the ballot paper with your cell phone or your camera or your camera and your cell phone and bring it and show me. Bring the photograph that you voted for me and then I will give you so much. That is the rumors around so I feel that this shouldn’t be done because that’s not fair and free elections. I just feel that I have every reason to believe that it is gong to be done today.”
Keith Swift,
And who would the person to do it, on what are you basing that trust?
Karl Menzies,
“Well it would have to be the Prime Minister. Only the Minister of that department could have the power to do it and I think he will.”
Following up on Barrow’s letter in which he cites specific legislation from Hong Kong, an S.I. copying the Hong Kong regulations was prepared this afternoon and signed by the Prime Minister. So as we go to the polls tomorrow, this is what the law says: the use of camera phones for pictures or recording in polling booths is banned. Those caught using camera phones in the booth will be liable for an offence punishable with a $500 fine or 6 months imprisonment.
